"It’s a part of the process for all teams whose season ends, even those who win
championships. Just a few minutes after the trophy is awarded, some questions
are raised about which players are coming back.<div class="entry-content">

Even for those under contract.</p>

Sunday night, shortly after the <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_beat_patriots_in_super.html">Giants
defeated the Patriots</a>, running back Brandon Jacobs was asked by SNY’s Jonas
Schwartz whether he wants to return for the 2012 season.</p>

“Oh no question. I wanted to come back before all of this stuff happened,”
said Jacobs, who completed his seventh season with the Giants. "I just hope
there are some things that can be worked out. Now’s not the time to focus on
that.”</p>

Those things are his roster bonus of $500,000 due next month and his base
salary of $4.4 million, none of which is guaranteed. The $4.9-million total
figure is a hefty tag for a No. 2 back, so Jacobs and the Giants both realize
some money must be shuffled, whether in the form of an extension or a pay cut
similar to the one he took this past season.</p>

“I just hope some things get worked out,” said the 29-year-old Jacobs, who
had 571 yards in the regular season and 164 more in the playoffs. “I want to
retire a Giant.”</p>

Among the reasons Jacobs wants to return is the new level of play Eli Manning
has reached.</p>

“‘E’ is a beast, man. We believed in ‘E’ the whole time when nobody else
did,” Jacobs said. “If people are still <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/politi_eli_manning_seals_his_l.html">asking
questions whether Eli’s elite</a>, come on man. Check the
records.”
</p></div>

Sunday night after her husband, Tom Brady, and the Patriots lost Super Bowl
XLVI to the Giants, 21-17, Bundchen <a href="http://www.theinsider.com/gossip/49452_Gisele_Bashes_Tom_s_Teammates/index.html#">was
decidedly less serene</a>.</p>

Bundchen was profane and blunt when speaking about how the Patriots
receivers, <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/patriots_wes_welker_drops_cruc.html">notably
Wes Welker</a>, dropped several key passes late in the fourth quarter as the
Giants rallied past New England.</p>

It will be very interesting to see how Brady, a master of squelching would-be
flaps and a pro at handling what little adversity he and the Patriots have
faced, and his teammates react to this little rant."</p>HOW THE GIANTS, JETS, PATRIOTS AND ALL THE OTHER TEAMS LOOK NEXT SEASON (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/nfl_how_the_giants_jets_patrio.html)

Excerpt: "<big>NFC EAST</big>

Giants (9-7)
Another improbable run showed the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) are among the league’s elite. But
plenty of personnel decisions will need to be made. Does GM Jerry Reese re-sign
DE Dave Tollefson? What about CBs Aaron Ross and Terrell Thomas, who missed the
season with a torn ACL? Does oft-disgruntled DE Osi Umenyiora get traded a la
Jeremy Shockey after Super Bowl XLII? Decisions, decisions.</p>

Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)
So much for the Dream Team, eh?
A 3-6 start submarined the Eagles’ chances. Injuries to QB Michael Vick and WRs
DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin didn’t help. While LeSean McCoy became one of
the league’s best RBs, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo became a target. But
Castillo has been retained, meaning that the 14th season for Reid might be his
last if things don’t work out again.</p>

Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
Dallas seems to have all of the
necessary pieces to be one of the elite teams in the league, but can’t get out
of its own way. Injuries took a toll on the Cowboys, but a 1-4 finish to the
season was the killer. QB Tony Romo isn’t fully to blame for the Cowboys’
futility, but his inability to win inside the NFC East is. In 37 career games,
Romo is 18-19 against the other three teams.</p>

Washington Redskins (5-11)
What price Washington is
willing to pay to get Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III? The Redskins are
slotted to pick sixth, but with the Rams at No. 2 (and already having Sam
Bradford), a deal is a possibility. Owner Daniel Snyder has no qualms about
spending or trading draft picks."</p>

"Ahmad Bradshaw insists that he tried to do what everyone wanted him to.</p>

As he barreled toward the end zone through the parting New England Patriots
defense, he knew that he should’ve taken a knee and help the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) bleed out the clock. There was less
than a minute to go, but as he split through his offensive line, he held up
right in front of the goal line. He tried to down himself, but didn’t get far
enough to the ground. So he did the next best thing: He scored.</p>

“Eli was telling me to go down,” Bradshaw said after <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/eli_manning_giants_defeat_new.html">the
21-17 victory tonight</a> in the Giants' locker room. “He was saying, ‘Don’t
score! Don’t score!’ I grabbed the ball and it really didn’t click at the 1-yard
line, so I tried to put myself down. But my momentum just took me in.”</p>

What turned out to be the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl was actually
the exact opposite result the Giants wanted.</p>

They did not want to leave Patriots quarterback Tom Brady time to attempt a
comeback. The original plan was to get the game clock down into the teens, kick
a field goal and leave Brady with less than 20 seconds to drive down the field.
Instead, Bradshaw going into the end zone allowed Brady 57 seconds to try to
pull off the miracle comeback.</p>

“Ahmad tried to tap himself down, but he rolled into the end zone,” Giants
offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “We did not (want Bradshaw to score).
As he ran, Eli was screaming to go down. He knows that. We’ve rehearsed those
situations before. But he did sit himself down, but they didn’t give it to
him.”</p>

The resulting scene was a strange one.</p>

Scoring what was at the time the go-ahead touchdown should’ve been cause for
celebration. Instead Bradshaw did nothing. Center David Baas and fullback Henry
Hynoski were the only ones to rush into the end zone and celebrate, pulling
Bradshaw up and patting him on the back. But the rest of the huddle had the look
of a team that had just seen the worst gaffe committed.</p>

Guard Kevin Boothe sagged his shoulders and put his head down. Guard Chris
Snee threw his hands up in frustration and made a motion that Bradshaw was
supposed to have gone down.</p>

“I don’t care, he scored the touchdown,” left tackle David Diehl said on the
field afterward.</p>

Others, like fellow running back Brandon Jacobs, had no issues with going
into the end zone.</p>

“I don’t know why he would try that,” Jacobs said. “We scored a touchdown. We
don’t worry about that. He wants to be a team player, but score the
touchdown.”</p>

Any miscommunications or mistakes were clearly forgotten and forgiven in the
celebratory Giants locker room. The Catch-22 of scoring the winning touchdown in
the Super Bowl or executing the proper play in the tricky scenario was something
that Bradshaw had no problem dealing with.</p>

For him, it was a good predicament to have to deal with.</p>

“We won,” Bradshaw said. “Right now, that’s all that matters. Right now,
we’re in here celebrating. You never know how it would’ve played out if I didn’t
score.”</p>GIANTS' TOM COUGHLIN OWN PATRIOTS' BILL BELICHICK AGAIN IN SUPER BOWL SEQUEL (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_tom_coughlin_coughlin_o.html)

"After Tom Coughlin had finished cradling the Lombardi Trophy like it was one of
his kids he had welcomed home after a four-year stint in the Peace Corps, he
stood at the podium in the cellar of Lucas Oil Stadium and raved about New
England Patriots coach Bill Belichick the way Batman raves about the
Riddler.

Smart guy. Diabolical in his schemes. A worthy adversary. One of the greatest
of all-time. All those things. </p>

But the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) coach — with specks of
the 21-17 victory confetti still clinging to his jacket — left out one detail:
He owns the guy.</p>

Coughlin now has <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/eli_manning_giants_defeat_new.html">beaten
Belichick in two Super Bowls</a> — both times as the underdog and both times on
last-minute touchdowns.</p>

Four years ago, Coughlin did the unthinkable and stunned the unbeaten
Patriots when some guy nobody ever heard of caught a football against his
helmet.</p>

This time, Coughlin thwarted the genius again with a quarterback who is
quickly becoming the Mariano Rivera of the NFL — Eli Manning, The Closer.</p>

And get this: Coughlin forced Belichick to swallow hard and give — yes, give
— the Giants a late touchdown just so the Patriots would have a long-shot chance
of winning the game. No one ever has humbled Belichick like this, turning him
into Wile E. Coyote taking the anvil on the head and hoping he could recover in
time to throw one last stick of dynamite.</p>

Coughlin, with his second Super Bowl championship, might have cinched a bust
in the Hall of Fame. But, really, who makes their bones against Lombardi? Or
Landy? Or Noll? Or Belichick?</p>

“We’ve won so many games like this, at the end of the fourth quarter,”
Coughlin said. “We talk about finishing all the time and winning in the fourth
quarter, being the stronger team, making the plays in the fourth quarter. It
happened again.”</p>

And it happened again against Belichick.</p>

(This is where we should mention that Coughlin beat the Hoodie Monster during
the regular season, too.)
</p>“He’s an exceptional coach,” Coughlin said. “His teams are always
well-coached. This was a tough game. We were frustrated because we had to settle
for field goals when we thought we should’ve had touchdowns.

“This was an incredible football game between two very talented teams. These
two teams always play hard against each other. Neither wants to lose to the
other.”</p>

And yet, one always seems to.</p>

“We didn’t find out who would be the AFC representative in the Super Bowl
until just before we took the field in San Francisco,” Coughlin recalled last
night. “And then, when we won, it was, ‘Holy cow, we’re going to play the
Patriots again.’?”</p>

One coach said, “Holy cow,” and the other probably had a cow. Because
Belichick, the most brilliant football mind of this millennium has met his
nemesis. Coughlin is Buster Douglas. He is Jimmy Qualls. In New England today,
he is Bucky Dent — squared.</p>

And Belichick is the Riddler — the evil mastermind who also gets Batman on
that conveyor belt creeping toward the swinging ax, but can’t keep him there for
the fatal blow.</p>

“I hope we get back here again,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “I’ve
been lucky enough to play in this game five times in 10 years. I’d love to keep
coming back to this game and taking a shot. It’s better than sitting home. So I
hope another opportunity comes.”</p>

He might not be so eager if Coughlin is on the other sideline again,
however.</p>

“What a wonderful experience this was,” Coughlin said. “Both Super Bowl teams
were terrific teams, but this one was a unique one for me the way (it) battled
and fought to the end. Each one is exciting, but this one is probably more so
because of the kind of year we had.</p>

“This is the finish line for the year. Yes, it is. As they say, the rest is
history.”</p>

The kind of history that will haunt Belichick."</p>IZENBERG: GIANTS CAN CREDIT THIS SUPER BOWL WIN TO THEIR DEFENSE (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/izenberg_giants_can_credit_thi.html)

"How do you get off to a 9-0 lead, run 19 plays before the other guys even run
two and still have to fight for your life?

How do you let the quarterback who is the hammer of New England hit you in
the solar plexus for two drives covering 175 yards in 22 plays that seem to take
light years off your image and hours off the game clock and still win it all.
Win every ounce of glitz and glory, popcorn and toy balloons that mark the
granddaddy of football games — the one that grabs the television viewing world
by its emotional jugular vein and serves as the measuring stick for all things
professional football?</p>

How do you beat Tom Brady, one of the best who ever quarterbacked a football
team … beat Bill Belichick, a coach who scares the hell out of other coaches
when he’s going good … beat the team that has become the brand name for
excellence? How do you do it?</p>

If you’re the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/), you don’t beat
them with mystique. You don’t beat them with gimmicks or r***mat***. You beat
them with a simple, basic, eye-to-eye and belly-to-belly hole card … the one
that has won virtually all championships from the leather helmet days to Sunday
night’s incredible Super Bowl.</p>

It’s called defense. </p>

And Sunday night, the Giants went into the trenches and played it for <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/eli_manning_giants_defeat_new.html">a
21-17 victory.</a> It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t slick. It is what happens in this
business when you pay no attention to what others say and when you follow the
oldest of formulas:</p>

Put strength on strength and let weakness go to hell.</p>

The Giants have a rainbow of pass-catchers. They have a brilliant
quarterback. But they generally win with the grunts and Sunday night, the grunts
were not only better than good. They were tenacious. </p>

They had to be.</p>

Look at the situation. They pushed the Pats all over the field during the
first 15 minutes. And then Brady hit them in the chops as the clock ran down for
the first half and for all their good work, they left the field trailing. After
all that down and dirty work in the first quarter and to see it threaten to
evaporate, you knew they were special when they came back after intermission and
continued to hammer … hammer … hammer.</p>

In the first quarter it was Justin Tuck who came barreling down toward Brady
… Brady the elusive … Brady the ringmaster … Brady who can torment the best of
rush lines and blitzing linebackers.</p>

He made him throw with no chance for a completion. He made him throw where
there was no possible receiver and since he was in the end zone, the ensuing
intentional grounding penalty gave the Giants a safety.</p>

“Yes, I knew Tuck was coming,” Brady would say — which explains a lot about
this game and this defense.
</p>You know what Eli Manning did Sunday. You know all about Mario Manningham’s
brilliant catch. You know how Eli and the offense got off the floor to get the
points they needed.

But this is a team that draws its staying power from the grunts. </p>

They will bend now and then but almost never did they break during this long,
long season. Sunday night, if you studied the landscape of the Giants’
performances as a whole, it was the defense that had the peaks and covered up
its few valleys. </p>

Hell, look at the way this ended. The Pats wouldn’t go softly into the dark
night that envelopes Super Bowl losers. Because they were the Pats and Brady was
Brady they were still alive for one last shot with just five seconds left.</p>

And the grunts knew it. They — just like everyone else inside this stadium —
knew he would bet it all on a miracle throw. The Pats were on their own 49.
Unlike the previous play, he had plenty of time. Unlike five previous plays he
did not hit the ground with Jason Tuck on top of him. Nobody was coming. The
Giants defense had other jobs.</p>

So Brady let it fly. It covered more than 50 yards in the air. He had people
there — Aaron Hernandez and Ron Gronkowski were in the end zone. So was the
Giants’ Kenny Phillips.</p>

When Brady had this last shot Phillips says he was thinking:</p>

“Don’t blow it. Just don’t blow it. The offense gave us the lead. Don’t give
it back. It’s up to us now.”</p>

Hernandez is 6-1. Gronkowski is 6-6. Phillips is 6-2. Hernandez and Phillips
jumped for it. But all year the finest hours of this Giants defense have been
fueled by sheer willpower. Phillips got there to slam it away, with Gronkowski
diving for it in vain.

“Neither of us touched it,” Hernandez said. “The
only one who did was that other guy.”</p>

And the way this defense operates it didn’t matter which “other guy.” All
season long, if it wasn’t Tuck it was Canty or Umenyiora or Pierre-Paul. It was
the same with the linebackers and defensive backs.</p>

Eli was the MVP and he deserved it. Manningham was the game-stopper with an
incredible catch. All power (and headlines) to him.</p>

"For all intents and purposes, Tom Brady’s date with destiny began with No. 91
boring in on him like a demonic rhino on his first snap of the game, and ended
with No. 91 eating him up and spitting him out on the 14-yard line with 36
seconds left in the game. </p>

Count us among those who had a pretty good idea this was coming. And you
would have as well — you only had to open your eyes, about 20 minutes before
kickoff. </p>

The game hadn’t even begun, yet there were 68,000 people who, in fact, knew
exactly what kind of attitude Justin Tuck had brought to <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/eli_manning_giants_defeat_new.html">Super
Bowl XLVI.</a> </p>

The Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/)’ defensive end had
assembled a few dozen of his closest friends in the left corner of the south end
zone, and for about 7 minutes, he held them spellbound. </p>

They surrounded him in a circle — six, seven deep. He pointed at every single
face that stared back at him. “You don’t have a ring!” he began, literally
shouting at guys like Chris Canty and Michael Boley. “You don’t know how this
feels. Think about that. Think about what you’ve missed in your life.”</p>

He swung around, his eyes ablaze, his expression an electric glaze, staring
at others and not skipping a beat. He raised his forefinger again. </p>

“You know what this is about! You’ve done this before!” he shouted at guys
like Kenny Phillips and Chase Blackburn. “Remember what being a champion felt
like! Think about what it could be like to feel that way again!”</p>

By then, they were feeling the adrenaline rising from the soles of their feet
to their extremities, and he hadn’t even sung the chorus yet. Did he have their
attention? Silly question.</p>

“Oh, yes,” said Linval Joseph, the kid who lines up next to Tuck at left
tackle. “Everyone listens when Justin talks.”</p>

It was a moment a captain lives for. And let the record show that this was
the soundtrack for the fourth straight superb performance for this Giants’
defense, because the 21-17 triumph over the New England Patriots might have been
inspired by a pregame rant that drew raves. </p>

“I said, ‘None of you want to walk off this field tonight thinking you missed
this opportunity, because you never know when you’ll get another,’?” Tuck
explained later. “And I told them that we’re built for this. To go out and grab
it. It’s there for us.”</p>

This is the game that lays emotions bare for an audience of billions, and we
get each twitch in close-up. He who twitches least usually wins the most, and
for the most part, Tuck is one of those guys who has perfected the
man-in-the-iron-mask facade.
</p>

But on this day, he decided the chuck it. And his team was better off for it.

Of course this game had to come down to defense. Of course it had to
come down to getting stops on Brady, and making the Patriots quarterback feel
the pressure like it was a swarm of locusts.</p>

But it came down to hearing their captain’s message — loud and clear, zero
distortion.</p>

“I’ll never forget it, really,” Joseph said. “He said, ‘They’re not built
like us. We’re a one-of-a-kind team. We’re a different breed.’?”</p>

The kid smiled. </p>

“He’s a special leader,” he said of Tuck. “For a special team.”</p>

This game was played just two hours to the south of his beloved alma mater
Notre Dame, so in a lot of ways it was a special night for Tuck. And make no
mistake, it wasn’t always easy to keep the faith. The defensive front did not
exactly maintain much pressure on Brady throughout this game, but the guys up
front did make the plays they needed to make. </p>

It was almost the season in microcosm: inconsistent, shaky, but ultimately
dominant. Ultimately, they’ve earned it. Holding the Pats’ offense to 17 points
is a great night’s work. A perfect ending to an imperfect season. </p>

“It wasn’t that we didn’t believe we couldn’t do this,” Tuck explained. “At
the time, we weren’t playing well, and to get here, you have to play well. I’m
blessed to have teammates who step up — we played well together.”</p>

It could have come apart, if not for the locker room leadership guys like
this showed in the lean times. </p>

And, perhaps most important, he showed that even the leaders can take
constructive criticism. It wasn’t long ago that Antrel Rolle called him out —
funny how the defense has been a clenched fist ever since — and Tuck never took
that personally. There was a reason for that: What’s good for any underachiever
is good for the captain. </p>

“But through the ups and downs this team has never wavered, never pointed a
finger,” he said. “Even when we said some things, it was taken the right way. It
was taken as motivation. It wasn’t being negative, it was guys saying, ‘I see
this and we need to do it better.’ And guys took it the right way, and put a lot
of pressure on themselves to play better.”</p>

It was about that time that Rolle stuck his head in the postgame scrum,
chirping happily, “What’s up, Tuck?”</p>

“Be humble, baby — I’m a world champion,” the captain replied, without
skipping a beat. “You are too, boy.”</p>

Again. And judging by the look on his face, the feeling never gets old."
</p>ELI MANNING SOLIDIFIES HIS LEGACY WITH GIANTS' SECOND SJUPER BOWL WIN OVER THE PATRIOTS (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/politi_eli_manning_seals_his_l.html)

"He has the keys to a city now, maybe the keys to the Hall of Fame someday, and
certainly the keys to a legacy unrivaled among New York quarterbacks.

But the keys to his new Corvette?</p>

His 10-month-old daughter Ava had those, turning them into a very expensive
teething toy. Eli Manning had handed them to her just minutes after he was named
the Super Bowl MVP again — the hot ride comes with the award — and Ava promptly
started gnawing away, oblivious to the wild scene around her.</p>

“You’ve got a new car!” Eli cooed to his daughter as he walked through the
hallways at Lucas Oil Stadium. “All right!”</p>

Ava was wearing a blue checkered dress decorated with footballs and a bright
red bow in her hair that matched her pudgy cheeks. The confetti was still
drifting through the air after <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/eli_manning_giants_defeat_new.html">the
21-17 Giants win</a>, the crowd still buzzing over what it had just witnessed,
and Manning wanted to hold his daughter more than the second Lombardi Trophy he
had won for his franchise.</p>

His wife Abby tried to pass Ava to him, but she reached back to her mommy.
Dad just smiled and gave her a kiss, and watched as she promptly dropped those
Corvette keys on the ground. </p>

This is the moment that solidifies Eli among the all-time greats, the victory
that gives him as many titles as Bart Starr and Roger Staubach, as John Elway
and Bob Griese — all Hall of Famers. That he has twice defeated a man with three
championships, a quarterback who was supposed to be the greatest of his
generation, makes it even sweeter.</p>

Twice now, with more than 100 million people watching, Eli Manning has
outplayed New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Twice now, with a chance
to deliver a trophy to the franchise that made a 2004 draft day trade to acquire
him, Manning has rallied the Giants for a thrilling victory.
</p>That’s how this game is remembered, how Eli came to Indianapolis and won his
second title in the city where his brother, Peyton, became a legend. How he took
the Giants 88 yards in the final 3:46 for the game-winning touchdown, a drive
made possible by another incredible catch on a long pass.

Not that Eli was willing to admit any of this, of course. </p>

“I don’t think that’s the story,” he said in his typical humble fashion. “I
think the story is that the New York Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) are world champions. That’s what I’m
proud of. That’s all that matters tonight.”</p>

So a season that started with <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2011/08/eli_manning_compares_himself_t.html">Manning
lumping himself in Brady’s class</a> ended with him outclassing him. It is funny
to think back to August when he made those comments in that radio interview,
that there actually was a debate over whether he deserved to be called elite.
</p>

“I consider myself in that class,” Manning said, then he threw for almost
5,000 yards, led the Giants to an NFL record six fourth-quarter comebacks, and
rallied them from 7-7 into the postseason. But what happened in January and
beyond is what cements a legacy for a quarterback, and Manning was near perfect
in four playoff wins. </p>

He completed 65 percent of his passes in those victories for 1,219 yards,
nine touchdowns and — most important — just one interception. He has been so
good late in games that, when Brady failed to convert on a third down with four
minutes to go and the Patriots had to punt, you knew what would happen
next.
</p>"I had rosary beads in my pocket for the final plays," said Ann Mara, looking
up to the heavens for her late husband Wellington, "saying, 'Wellie, what are
you doing to me up there?'"

She didn't need the help from above. Her team had the right quarterback on
the field. </p>

“That’s Eli,” receiver Mario Manningham said. “He’s cool as the other side of
the pillow. You know he’s going to make plays. We’ve just got to be in a
position to back him up.”</p>

Manningham did that on the first play of the winning drive, somehow keeping
both feet in bounds on a 38-yard sideline strike that put the ball at midfield.
It wasn’t quite as remarkable as David Tyree’s catch four years ago, but it was
every bit as important. And the throw, like so many that left his right hand in
this game, was perfect. </p>

From there, Manning had to move the Giants and manage the clock. A 16-yard
strike to Manningham and a 14-yarder to Hakeem Nicks got the Giants into
field-goal range. The Giants had a first-and-goal at the 7 with 69 seconds left,
and when the Patriots let running back Ahmad Bradshaw skate into the end zone,
Manning was yelling to his teammate, “Don’t score! Don’t score!”</p>

Bradshaw did score, and that left Manning in the exact position he feared:
Standing on the sideline, helpless, watching Brady work. Brady converted a long
fourth down and moved the Patriots to midfield, and Manning turned away and
clenched his fists.
</p>A few of the assistant coaches joined hands with the team’s priest as the
final Hail Mary went into the air, but Manning just stood with his hands on his
hips, watching the ball soar through the air. The photographers crept closer and
closer, and when the football hit the ground, he took off running onto the
field.

He found Justin Tuck, the defensive hero, for a bear hug. If you were to pick
two players who helped will this team to their two titles, it would be these two
— contemporaries who are immortals for this franchise already, with plenty of
football in their careers left to play.</p>

That is the question now with Eli Manning: How many more of these can he win?
How high can he build his legacy as a winner? Seven of the 10 men with two or
more championships are enshrined in Canton.</p>

“I know one thing, Eli might have said earlier in the year that he belonged
with the elite quarterbacks,” his father Archie Manning said, “but he will not
be saying that he belongs in the Hall of Fame.”</p>

He doesn’t have to say it. Manning is 31, in the middle of his prime, a
two-time Super Bowl MVP already. He can even drive his new Corvette in the
ticker-tape parade, if his daughter ever stops chewing on the keys." </p>JETS' OWNER WOODY JOHNSON CONGRATULATES NY GIANTS (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/jets_owner_woody_johnson_congr.html)
</div>
"Shortly after the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) beat the
New England Patriots, 21-17, tonight in Super Bowl XLVI, Jets (http://www.nj.com/jets/) owner Woody Johnson released a statement
congratulating their crosstown rivals:

“On behalf of the New York
Jets, I would like to congratulate the Mara and Tisch families, Coach Coughlin
and the entire New York Giants organization. It was a closely contested game
that showcased all of the best elements that our sport has to offer. The Giants
demonstrated poise and resolve in earning a hard-fought victory in Super Bowl
XLVI. Also, I want to congratulate the Kraft family, Coach Belichick and the New
England Patriots on a tremendous effort and an excellent season.”</p>GIANTS WIN SUPER BOWL XLVI OVER PATRIOTS: GIANTS' CELEBRATION VIA TWITTER (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_win_super_bowl_xlvi_ove.html)

RExcerpt: "As the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) celebrate their <a href="http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/eli_manning_giants_beat_tom_br.html">21-17
victory over the New England Patriots</a> in Super Bowl XLVI tonight,
Star-Ledger's staff reporters are tweeting what they see and hear among the
jubilation:" Read more...

"The final prayer from Tom Brady's right arm sailed through the still air at
Lucas Oil Stadium and drained the final seconds from the clock.

On the sideline to their left, a sea of white shirts began to stir as it
became clear the ball would not land in any of the New England Patriots' hands
tonight. They waited for the bellowing audience to confirm what they'd hoped
before spilling out onto the field. </p>

Capping a thrilling 21-17 victory as the confetti poured from all sides,
engulfing them in purple and silver dust, the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) became Super Bowl champions for the
second time in four years. </p>

The win in Super Bowl XLVI gives the Giants their fourth Lombardi Trophy in
franchise history in what was perhaps the most unexpected run of them all. Once
struggling at 7-7, a remarkable win streak to close out the season gave them a
playoff berth and a momentum they would never relinquish. </p>

Through a near-perfect offense in Green Bay and a daunting defense in San
Francisco, the Giants traversed a playoff road that led them back to the Super
Bowl to face the Patriots, whom they beat in similar, stunning fashion four
years ago. </p>

This time, it was led by stellar performances from quarterback Eli Manning
and wideout Hakeem Nicks. Manning finished 30-for-40 for 296 yards and one
touchdown, while Nicks abused the Patriots' secondary, hauling in 10 catches for
109 yards. </p>

Manning was named the Super Bowl MVP — the same award he won five years ago.
</p>The Giants' 'defense held quarterback Tom Brady to 276 yards and two
touchdowns, with one interception.

The momentum shifted in the Giants favor for good thanks to a stunning catch
by Mario Manningham that took the Giants 38 yards, from their own 12 to midfield
with 3:46 remaining. Still trailing by two, 17-15, it set up a 14-yard post play
to Hakeem Nicks that put the Giants into comfortable field goal range and
eventually a 6-yard touchdown run from Ahmad Bradshaw that gave them a
four-point lead. </p>

Brady and the Patriots had just 57 seconds to try and burn back down the
field and score, but the mechanical offense faltered as a white-knuckle Giants
defense clamped down for one final time.</p>

They did not make it past midfield. </p>

The game began with less than ideal circumstances for the Patriots, who found
themselves trailing by two point after their first offensive play. With strong
pressure from Justin Tuck, Brady tried to avoid a sack in the end zone by
hurling the ball downfield. </p>

But with no receivers around, he was flagged for intentional grounding in the
end zone, a penalty that warrants a safety anyway. </p>

From there, the Giants' offense flexed the same efficiency it has throughout
the playoffs, complemented by a punchy run game that gave the Patriots' front
seven fits throughout the half.
</p>

Cruz's trademark salsa was in full swing, and it appeared the Giants were
prepared to run away with their second Super Bowl win since 2007-08 with an
early 9-0 lead. </p>

Brady, though, would not allow the Patriots to be down for long,
orchestrating a seamless 14-play, 96 yard drive to end the half. He began to
pick on the Giants linebackers that struggled heavily with Aaron Hernandez and
Wes Welker over the middle throughout the night. </p>

He would repeat the same, carving drive to open the second half on just eight
plays. Seventy-nine yards later, the Patriots had the Giants pinned on their
heels for the first time all night.</p>

They would answer with two straight field goals to pull within two, 17-15."</p>

Excerpt: "Giants fans, here's your chance to grade Big Blue in Super Bowl XLVI against
the New England Patriots. Assign your grades in the polls below, and then drop
down and leave a comment explaining your thinking." Read more...VOTE</p>GIANTS' SUPER BOWL VICTORY PARADE: WHERE AND WHEN (http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_super_bowl_victory_para.html)

"New York City will host a ticker-tape parade Tuesday at 11 a.m. in honor of
the Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/)' victory over the New England
Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&amp;catID=1194&amp;do c_name=http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2012a/pr044-12.html&amp;cc=unused1978&amp;rc=1194&amp;ndi=1">the
mayor's office announced.</a>

The Giants (http://www.nj.com/giants/) won their second Super
Bowl in five years over the Patriots, beating them tonight in Indianapolis,
21-17. </p>

“Big Blue gave us a game to remember, and on Tuesday we're going to give them
a parade to remember,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement tonight.</p>

The parade will begin at Battery Place and Washington Street at 11 and
continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Wall Street.
</p>

The mayor will then present the Giants with the keys to the city at City
Hall.</p>

New York will give two tickets to 250 winners to the City Hall ceremony. You
can visit www.nyc.gov (http://www.nyc.gov/html/index.html) or call
311 or send a text message to 311-862 to enter from 9-11 a.m. Monday. You can
also enter through the mayor's Twitter page: @NYCMayorsOffice. (https://twitter.com/#%21/NYCMayorsOffice)</p>

Tri-state area residents 18 years or older are eligible. You can enter only
once. Winners will be notified at 2 p.m. and must pick up their tickets at a
location in in midtown Manhattan by 8 p.m. Monday.</p>

For Tuesday's parade, the sidewalks lining the Canyon of Heroes along
Broadway from the Battery to City Hall are open to the public. </p>

"Four
years ago, John Mara (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/John+Mara) stood on a
podium in a swirl of confetti after witnessing what he called “the greatest
victory in the history of this franchise.” He was sure it was a
once-in-a-lifetime moment.
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">
Then, on Sunday night, it happened all over
again.

History repeated itself in incredible fashion as the Giants rode
another amazing fourth-quarter comeback by Eli Manning (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Eli+Manning) to win
their second Super Bowl championship in four years. They beat the New England
Patriots, again, in Super Bowl XLVI on an Ahmad Bradshaw (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Ahmad+Bradshaw)
touchdown with 57 seconds remaining, this time 21-17.

Then they withstood
a final, desperate pass by Tom Brady (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tom+Brady), again, to hang
on to a heart-stopping win.<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/super-bowl-xlvi-ny-giants-england-patriots-lucas-oil-stadium-gallery-1.1017408">

PHOTOS:
GIANTS STUN PATRIOTS AGAIN IN SUPER BOWL</a>

“To get one Super
Bowl win in the manner that we got it four years ago usually lasts a whole
career,” Mara said from under another storm of confetti. “But to get two of
these? It is beyond description. It really is.”

Getting two in five
seasons against the same rivals — a team with three Super Bowl rings of its own
— is amazing enough, but they did it by nearly duplicated their miraculous
championship run from 2007, right down to the final, nerve-wracking
drive.

This time they got the ball back at their own 12 with 3:46
remaining, trailing 17-15 and needing only a field goal to pull off the
miracle.

They started fast, with a 38-yard pass down the sidelines to Mario Manningham (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Mario+Manningham),
who made the highlight-reel catch at midfield by leaping and just barely getting
his feet in bounds. Manning — who set a Super Bowl record by completing his
first nine passes and was named the MVP again for his stellar 30-for-40,
296-yard performance — completed four of his next five passes before the Pats
let Bradshaw score on a six-yard run with less than a minute to go.

Then
the Giants defense took the field, thinking, as <a title="Kenny Phillips (Football)" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Kenny+Phillips+%28Football%29">safety Kenny
Phillips</a> said, “Don’t blow it. Just don’t blow it.” This time Brady — who
set a Super Bowl record with 16 straight completions and finished 27 for 41 for
276 yards — had 22 seconds more than he had in Super Bowl XLII. And he nearly
pulled off the biggest miracle of all when he fired a 49-yard Hail Mary pass
into the end zone on the final play of the game.

Of the time ball was in
the air, Mara said, “I couldn’t breathe. That would’ve been a horrible way to
lose the game.” But Phillips leaped and knocked the ball away the Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Aaron+Hernandez).
New England’s injured tight end Rob Gronkowski (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Rob+Gronkowski)
lunged for the batted ball but it proved out of reach. The celebration was
suddenly under way.

</div>That the game came down to
Manning was somehow fitting, considering this was the seventh time he led the
Giants back from a fourth-quarter deficit this season. But before Manning had a
chance, the Giants had to duck several potential disasters. The first came when
the Patriots scored on the final drive of the first half and the opening drive
of the second half to take what seemed like a commanding 17-9 lead.
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">

“That could’ve sucked the momentum right out of us,” Manning said. But
they still had Tom Coughlin (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tom+Coughlin)’s
halftime words ringing in their ears.

“When we got in at halftime I said,
‘We can play better than this, guys. We’re better than this,’” Coughlin said.
“Everybody agreed.”

First they chipped away with two Lawrence Tynes (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Lawrence+Tynes) field
goals to pull within 17-15. Then they dodged a bullet when <a title="Chase Blackburn" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Chase+Blackburn">linebacker Chase
Blackburn</a> -- only re-signed by the Giants in late November -- boxed out
Gronkowski deep in Giants territory and intercepted a Brady pass. Two plays
later, guard Chris Snee (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Chris+Snee) dove on
fumble by Bradshaw at the Giants’ 11 yard line.

Then, with four minutes
left, Brady had a wide-open Wes Welker (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Wes+Welker) deep in
Giants territory, but his pass was just a little too high.

That set the
stage, again, for Manning. And everyone on the Giants’ sideline knew what was
going to happen next.

“It was almost relaxing, crazy as that sounds,”
said Justin Tuck (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Justin+Tuck). “I was
smiling on the sidelines. We were like, ‘We’ve been here before.’”

The truth is nobody every expected this, not from
a team that looked in August like it might be rebuilding and then was on the
brink of elimination when it sat with a 7-7 record and two regular-season games
to go. Just like they did in 2007, though, they spent the next six weeks on a
run for the ages.

By the time they got to the Super Bowl the feeling was
so familiar they just knew they were about to win it all.

“We proved
everyone wrong with our actions,” said left tackle David Diehl (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/David+Diehl). “It wasn’t
about what we said. It was what we did.”

They backed up their words, and
now they’ll get the trip to the White House they were chanting for in their
post-game locker room, as well as the parade down the Canyon of Heroes they
predicted they would get.

“No one can take this away from us, no matter
what,” added Antrel Rolle (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Antrel+Rolle). “They
can say whatever they want to say. They can put us down. They can say we got
lucky. We know we’re going to hear it all.

“But at the end of the day, we
are the champions.”

Again."
</p>GIANTS' ELI MANNING PROVES ONCE AGAIN HE IS ONE OF THE MOST CLUTCH ATHLETES NEW YORK HAS EVER SEEN (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/super-bowl-xlvi-win-patriots-ny-giants-eli-manning-proves-clutch-athletes-york-article-1.1017795)

"This was the night, in the second Super Bowl against the Patriots, the second
time he won the game for his team in the last minute of a Super Bowl, that <a title="Eli Manning" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Eli+Manning">Eli
Manning</a> made it all official, that he is not just one of the great clutch
quarterbacks in the history of his sport, but as great a clutch athlete as we
have ever had in New York, in anything.
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">

Nobody takes his team down the
field and does it like this twice with an NFL championship on the line, not Johnny Unitas (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Johnny+Unitas) or <a title="Joe Montana" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Joe+Montana">Joe
Montana</a> or anybody.

Only now Eli has.

He has done it like this
again and done it to the Patriots again, this time at Lucas Oil Stadium, this
time handing the season to Ahmad Bradshaw (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Ahmad+Bradshaw) at
the end instead of throwing it to <a title="Plaxico Burress" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Plaxico+Burress">Plaxico
Burress</a>.

This time he started with three minutes and change left,
instead of two minutes and change the way it was against the Patriots the last
time. This time the throw to remember wasn’t to David Tyree (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/David+Tyree), it was 38
yards down the left sideline to Mario Manningham (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Mario+Manningham).
Not as crazy a catch as Tyree made in Super Bowl 42. Just a much better throw
from Eli Manning, from his own 12-yard line.</p>

<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/super-bowl-xlvi-ny-giants-england-patriots-lucas-oil-stadium-gallery-1.1017408">SUPER
BOWL CHAMPIONS! PHOTOS OF THE GIANTS' WIN OVER THE
PATRIOTS</a>

Now it was much later at Lucas Oil Stadium, and the
Giants had won 21-17, and there was confetti everywhere and <a title="Jake Ballard" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Jake+Ballard">Jake
Ballard</a>, one of the receivers who caught balls from Eli all year long, was
on a cart near the stage for the trophy presentation because he hurt his knee
Sunday night against the Patriots. And Ballard was asked what it is in his
quarterback’s DNA that makes him become the best quarterback in the world and
one of the best to ever play games like this when games like this are on the
line.

”It’s the Eli gene,” Ballard said.

Much later than that,
standing outside the Giants locker room, Eli Manning’s mother, Olivia, was asked
what it was like when the Giants got the ball back Sunday night with 3:46 left
and they were still trailing the Patriots 17-15, and she knew that once again
her youngest son was being asked to bring the Giants from behind in the last
minutes of the Super Bowl, and the family was in the barrel again, this time in
the stadium where Peyton Manning (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Peyton+Manning) had
been such a great player.

“I have to tell you,” she said, “I am always
happy when the ball is in Eli’s hands.”

Archie Manning (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Archie+Manning), a
great quarterback who never got near a moment like this as a player, said, “And
I’m pretty happy when the season is in his hands.”

So much had happened
in this game before Eli (30-for-40, 296 yards, one touchdown pass, second Super
Bowl MVP) got the ball back on the 12, still down two. Tom Brady (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tom+Brady) had completed
16 passes in a row during one stretch and the Patriots had scored 17 points in a
row to go ahead 17-9. But with four minutes left, Wes Welker (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Wes+Welker) dropped a
deep ball he should have caught, that might have set the Patriots up to put the
game away. The Patriots had to punt finally from the Giants 44. First down for
Eli on the 12. First play he threw one of the best pure, cold, money passes he
will ever throw to Manningham. Who somehow kept his feet in bounds. Giants at
the 50 now.

And you knew. You knew in Indy that it was happening to the
Patriots again, that Eli was doing it to them again in this wonderful Super
Bowl, exactly what it was supposed to be, Giants-Patriots II feeling like
Ali-Frazier III and making Justin Tuck (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Justin+Tuck) say on the
field, “I’m just glad we’re Ali.”

“That’s a huge play right there,” Eli
said, on this night when he was the Super Bowl MVP for a second time. “When
you’re backed up, to get a 40-yard gain and get to the middle of the field
...”

He completed four more passes after that, two to Manningham and two
to a great talent named Hakeem Nicks (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Hakeem+Nicks). Then
Bradshaw ran into the end zone even though there was a crazy moment when you
thought he might stop to run more clock. Then a desperation throw from Brady was
on the ground in the end zone, and the Giants really had come from 7-7 in
December to win the fourth Super Bowl in the team’s history.

Outside the
Giants locker room, Osi Umenyiora (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Osi+Umenyiora) was
asked which one was sweeter, this one or the one four years ago, and he said,
“This one. Know why? They said the one four years ago was a fluke. What are they
gonna say now?”

They are going to say that the Giants have now given
their fans, the best there are anywhere, the two best championship runs any New
York team has ever given anybody in anything. And a season that started out with
the silly controversy of Eli saying he’s an elite quarterback merely ends with
Giants fans knowing they would not trade him for another elite quarterback or
player in his sport, not Aaron Rodgers (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Aaron+Rodgers) or <a title="Drew Brees" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Drew+Brees">Drew
Brees</a> or Brady or anybody.

Go find another quarterback who brought
his team from behind twice in the last minute of a championship game like this.
Oh, you get to do it once, the way Montana did against the Bengals in Miami one
time. You do it the way <a title="Ben Roethlisberger" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Ben+Roethlisberger">Ben
Roethlisberger</a> did to the Cardinals in Tampa. You’re not supposed to do it
twice. Only now Eli Manning, who takes his place right now with Lawrence Taylor (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Lawrence+Taylor) as
one of the two Giants who will be remembered best.

“Maybe there is
something in his DNA,” Giants co-owner John Mara (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/John+Mara) said. “Because
the bigger the pressure, the cooler he is.”

Mo Rivera (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Mariano+Rivera) closed out
all those October games. Eli is a different kind of closer. He closes by coming
from behind in the Super Bowl. Twice.</p>

Other quarterbacks have more Super Bowls. Give him time. By now we know he
doesn’t need much. As great a clutch athlete as we’ve ever had here. Not just an
elite quarterback Sunday night.

Best in the world."</p></div>BIG BLUE DENIES WELKER AND BRADY (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/wes-welker-left-thinking-fourth-quarter-drop-ny-giants-super-bowl-article-1.1017779)

"He stood 80 yards away from history. For two weeks, Tom Brady (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tom+Brady)’s legacy was
dissected and debated. If the Patriots won Super Bowl XLVI, would history view
him as the best quarterback of all-time? He had only 57 seconds to win his
fourth title and tie Joe Montana (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Joe+Montana) and Terry Bradshaw (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Terry+Bradshaw), only
57 seconds to stand alone with 17 career playoff wins. He had 57 seconds to
erase the memory of an imperfect ending four years ago in the Arizona desert
against the Giants.<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">

When Brady’s final Hail Mary heave bounced off a sea of hands in the end zone
and too far away from Rob Gronkowski (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Rob+Gronkowski)’s
reach as time expired, he felt the same stinging feeling that washed over him
the last time the Patriots were in the Super Bowl.</p>

“When you think of our game four years ago, it’s a miracle play that they
made,” said Brady, referring David Tyree (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/David+Tyree)’s
unfathomable catch in Super Bowl XLII. “We had a chance to make one of those and
didn’t come up with it. It always comes down to one or two plays in this game.
If you make it, you’re celebrating. If you don’t, you don’t sleep for a
week.”</p>

One of those plays was a crucial drop by Wes Welker (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Wes+Welker) when the Pats
had a chance to put the game away.
Leading, 17-15, with just over four
minutes left in the game, a wide-open Welker couldn’t hold on to a high
second-down throw.</p>

“The ball’s right there,” a visibly upset Welker said after the game. “I just
got to make play. I’ve made it 1,000 times in my life. . . . To not come up with
it, it’s discouraging.”</p>

“It hit me right in the hands. It’s a play I never drop. I don’t drop. I
always make. . . . There’s a lot of opportunities that we didn’t take advantage
of. . . . I’m at the top of the list.”

Asked if he could have scored on
the play, Welker paused for a few seconds. “I don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t
matter now. . . . It’s one that I’ll have to live with.”

Brady threw it
behind Deion Branch (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Deion+Branch) on the
next play for an incompletion that set the stage for the Giants’ game-winning
88-yard drive.

“I’ll keep coming to this game, keep trying,” said Brady,
who went 27-for-41 for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. “I’d
rather come to this game and lose than not get here. Hopefully we’ll be back at
some point. . . . We all hate to lose. It came down to one play at the end of
the game. If we make it, we’re world champs. If we don’t, we’re wishing we
were.”

The Patriots overcame a sluggish start thanks to Brady’s
brilliance in the second and third quarters. He broke Montana’s Super Bowl
record with 16 consecutive completions bridging both halves that turned a 9-0
deficit to a 17-9 lead late in the third quarter. Brady completed all 10 of his
passes in a Super Bowl record- tying 96-yard scoring drive capped by a 4-yard
touchdown pass to Danny Woodhead (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Danny+Woodhead) just
before halftime. Brady carved up the Giants’ defense on the opening drive of the
second half and found Aaron Hernandez (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Aaron+Hernandez) for
a 12-yard touchdown to extend the Pats’ 10-9 halftime lead.

“It’s pretty
gut-wrenching,” guard Logan Mankins (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Logan+Mankins)
said about squandering the lead. “There’s not a lot to be said when you lose a
game of this magnitude. You can say whatever you want to someone, but it falls
on deaf ears. It just hurts to get this close and fall short.”

Belichick
admitted that his team could have played “a tiny bit better.” The Patriots
forced two fumbles, but never recovered the ball. The Giants recovered their own
fumbles twice.

Belichick’s team was flagged for 12 men on the field when
it did recovered a fumble that was nullified by the penalty.

“We didn’t
capitalize on the opportunities they gave us,” Branch said. “We had a great
opportunity to put this team away and we didn’t.”

Eli Manning (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Eli+Manning)’s perfect
throw down the left sideline to Mario Manningham (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Mario+Manningham)
for a 38-yard gain jump-started the Giants’ ensuing drive, which was capped off
by Ahmad Bradshaw (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Ahmad+Bradshaw)’s
6-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds to go.

Brady vowed to be
back.

“I hope I have another couple chances,” Brady said.

His
wife, Gisele, gave him a kiss and a hug. They walked down the tunnel at Lucas
Oil Stadium holding hands. The red, white and blue confetti strewn across the
field was to their right. Neither one of them looked back."</p>

MARIO MANNINGHAM BEATS PATRICK YOUNG, STERLING MOORE AND THE SIDELINE TO SET UP GIANTS' GAME WINNING DRIVE VS. PATRIOTS (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/ny-giants-mario-manningham-clutch-catch-england-patriots-wes-welker-big-drop-turn-tide-super-bowl-article-1.1017714)</p>

Excerpt: "In the end, the Giants’ whole remarkable season, their improbable rise from
the purgatory of 7-and-7, really came down to two long spirals and two difficult
chances for a pair of wide receivers.<a title="Wes Welker" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Wes+Welker">
</a></p>

<a title="Wes Welker" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Wes+Welker">Wes
Welker</a>, the guy who is supposed to catch everything, couldn’t make the play
deep, middle left, with four minutes left in the game. The ball from <a title="Tom Brady" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tom+Brady">Tom
Brady</a> slipped through his hands and with it a chance to seal a fourth Super
Bowl victory for New England.</p><div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; TEXT-ALIGN: left; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #000000; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; TEXT-DECORATION: none">

Then Mario Manningham (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Mario+Manningham)
grabbed a pass that dropped in over his shoulder from Eli Manning (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Eli+Manning), somehow
kept his feet in bounds on the left sideline for a 38-yard gain with 3:39
remaining to set up the winning drive for the 21-17 victory. Manningham beat
both Patrick Chung (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Patrick+Chung) and Sterling Moore (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Sterling+Moore).
Mostly, though, Manningham beat the sideline.</p>

The Giants were on their way. They get to occupy Wall Street on Tuesday,
another parade.</p>

Manningham had trouble per

lttaylor56

02-06-2012, 11:41 AM

I cannot stop smiling. Congratulations and Thank you RF!!! We are the Champs

RoanokeFan

02-06-2012, 12:09 PM

I cannot stop smiling. Congratulations and Thank you RF!!! We are the Champs

I cannot stop smiling. Congratulations and Thank you RF!!! We are the Champs</p>

</p>

That goes double for me. haha. Love our Giants.</p>

</p>

Also, I would like to say that Wes Welker is a great receiver and will continue to be. All players drop balls, it's a fact of life. Dropping a ball does not lessen who they are. IMO Thanks RF</p>

It is never ONE PLAYER'S FAULT in a loss or a win

lttaylor56

02-06-2012, 02:45 PM

I cannot stop smiling. Congratulations and Thank you RF!!! We are the Champs</p>

*</p>

That goes double for me. haha. Love our Giants.</p>

*</p>

Also, I would like to say that Wes Welker is a great receiver and will continue to be.* All players drop balls, it's a fact of life. Dropping a ball does not lessen who they are. IMO* Thanks RF</p>

It is never ONE PLAYER'S FAULT in a loss or a win
So true. I believe that Wes makes that catch 99 times out of 100. Just further re-inforces the feeling that this Super Bowl was again destined for NYG.

NY_Eli

02-06-2012, 04:23 PM

Amazing. What a game. What a season.

Thanks RF for providing the news through the season! The Giants are champs once again!

Cindy in INdy

02-06-2012, 04:52 PM

thank you for all this!!! the best as always~~

RoanokeFan

02-06-2012, 05:22 PM

thank you for all this!!! the best as always~~[Y]

RoanokeFan

02-06-2012, 05:23 PM

Amazing. What a game. What a season.

Thanks RF for providing the news through the season! The Giants are champs once again!

[Y]

GameTime

02-06-2012, 06:18 PM

Ro....</P>

thank you for all the effort you have put in all season. Its a great thing you do everyday. </P>

The New York Giants are the Super Bowl 46 Winners....</P>

as we all are......</P>

</P>

</P>

RoanokeFan

02-06-2012, 06:28 PM

Ro....</p>

thank you for all the effort you have put in all season. Its a great thing you do everyday. </p>

The New York Giants are the Super Bowl 46 Winners....</p>

as we all are......</p>

</p>

</p>

It's my pleasure. Who would have ever seen this coming around week 11? We fans are a fickle group but if we ever needed a lesson in BELIEVE, could we have asked for a better example?

G-Men Surg.

02-06-2012, 06:33 PM

Congrats RF great job all year long !

RoanokeFan

02-06-2012, 07:08 PM

Congrats RF great job all year long !

[Y]

GameTime

02-06-2012, 07:58 PM

Ro....</P>

thank you for all the effort you have put in all season. Its a great thing you do everyday. </P>

The New York Giants are the Super Bowl 46 Winners....</P>

as we all are......</P>

</P>

</P>

It's my pleasure. Who would have ever seen this coming around week 11? We fans are a fickle group but if we ever needed a lesson in BELIEVE, could we have asked for a better example?
</P>